Expectations
by musicluver11
Summary: Sometimes things don't turn out how we expect them to, and that's exactly what happens to Gale when he watches the 74th hunger games with Madge. Sometimes expectations need to change, and sometimes, that's for the better. I OWN NOTHING BUT MY OWN ORIGINAL IDEAS


**Ok so I got a request for a Gale and Madge one, so here is a one shot for them. I would love to get reviews on this, and thank you in advance for them! Please check out my profile and my other stories too! Thanks!**

GALE'S POV

I stood there, watching my best friend who I've secretly had a crush on forever, begin the fight for her life in the Hunger Games.

I absolutely hate the Capitol and who rules us ,especially now, because her chances of surviving this were 1 in 24, which doesn't seem like terrible odds until you consider that about 12 of those 24 train all of their lives for these horrific games.

Madge, the mayor's daughter, is standing next to me with tears in her eyes.

Her and Katniss were never really great friends, but Madge was the kind of person who cared for everyone and hated to see people hurt.

I looked down at her, she always cried when we were forced to watch the games every year. Her blonde hair blowing in the slight breeze that could be felt passing through. She was trying her hardest not to cry, but failing miserably.

She normally never cried this early, i mean, the games had only just began and Katniss was fighting for the backpack. But this year was different, because Katniss was Madge's friend. They sat next to each other at lunch everyday, and even though they didn't always talk, they were still friends.

I had never really realized how beautiful Madge really was, seeing as she always wore a boring school outfit, but she was wearing her expensive dress again, and her hair was shining even though she looked like she hadn't slept at all last night.

She looked up at me with a sympathetic expression which i returned, we were both friends with Katniss, and we both wished she would live, but we knew that it wasn't much of a possibility.

She slipped her small hand into mine and moved closer to me.

I went to pull my hand away, confused by her gesture when she said, "Please don't."

So i didn't, and we stood there like that until we were allowed to go back to our homes for the night.

The funny thing is, i didn't mind holding her hand. it gave a sort of comfort, knowing she was going through some of the same things i was, but still i couldn't help but feel that she took it as something much more.

MADGE'S POV

I had held Gale's hand, and he had let me. I took a risk, and it paid off.

I have had a crush on him for as long as i can remember, but he has never looked at me that way.

No he has always looked at Katniss that way, and sometimes i am jealous of that, but i can't be mad at her, it's not her fault.

We continue to be brought to watch the games everyday, and everyday i cry in fear of losing my friend. And everyday, Gale and i stand there, holding hands like it's our last tie to this earth, the only thing keeping us from floating into an abyss where we know nothing.

Everyday she survives and i'm thankful for that, because maybe, jsut maybe, it means that she can come home.

Her sister Prim misses her, and screams every time she is brought to watch the games.

When she's brought, she immediately finds her way to us, knowing that we will be there, and we protect her in a way.

Gale shields her eyes when he thinks something bad is going to happen to Katniss, and i hug her when she gets afraid, or calm her when she cries for her sister.

Gale told me about his promise that he made to Katniss to keep her family safe, and i want to help with that too.

We watch and everyday i feel closer to Gale, talking with him when there are things not having to do with Katniss on the giant screen.

One day, he leans down like he wants to kiss me, so i kiss him, but he immediatly pulls back with a bewildered expression on his face.

GALE'S POV

Madge just kissed me.

I pull back almost immediately and stare at her like she's crazy.

"What was that for?!" I question, she knew about my feelings for Katniss, and maybe i hadn't told her exactly how i felt towards Katniss, that i loved her, but i had told her that i liked her as more than a friend, and she goes and does that!

"I'm sorry Gale, I thought.." She trails off.

"Yeah, well you thought wrong Madge! I told you how i feel, about how i like Katniss, and then you do that!"

"I'm sorry Gale." She whispers with tears in ehr eyes and i immediatly feel bad for making her cry. I sigh.

"It's alright Madge, just, jsut don't let it happen again ok?"

She nods her head slightly and goes back to looking at the screen.

We stay silent for a good 20 minutes before i speak up.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you Madge. I was jsut surprised was all. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"It's alright Gale." She whispers before she is allowed to go back to her home, and i don't see her again for the rest of the night.

It's getting late, and luckily about half way through today Madge showed up to where we usually stand to watch, her face drained of what little color that it had.

I instantly feel bad, knowing that my outburst yesterday probably hadn't helped with her sleeping issues.

She had told me that since the games had started this year, she had an awful time sleeping, always having nightmares.

And i had just blown up at her yesterday for kissing me when she knew i liked a girl who i would probably never see again in person.

Sure i knew that Katniss was strong, but Cato was still left, along with Thresh, the girl who looked like a fox, and the one who was extremely accurate when it came to throwing swords, Clove i think her name was.

The boy who has also always been in love with Katniss, Peeta, was still around, but i highly doubted for long seeing as he had a huge gash in his leg and had no way to clean it or patch it up.

Then they announced the rule change, two from the same district could both win, and Katniss muttered Peeta's name.

Before then, i had thought she never liked him, everything she said in the interviews, how she acted towards him, was a lie. But you could see in her face that she wasn't pretending, even though she was trying to convince herself that she was.

She managed to find him and clean his wound, keep him safer than he was when he was hiding, and then the announcement came.

They had things at the Cornucopia for them, things that they all needed desperately, and i knew she would go.

She knew it was the medicine that Peeta needed, and that she had to get it to save him.

She thought she was keeping up an act that they were in love, when i reality they were, it just hadn't hit her yet.

Peeta tried his hardest to talk her out of going, and she had told him that she wouldn't go.

Then, she kissed him.

She was feeding him broth with an ingredient unknown to him in it that would make him sleep, and she kissed him.

I looked down at Madge, and she knew what Katniss would do.

She would go to that Cornucopia, and she would die trying to save his life.

A single tear slipped from her eye and i wiped it from her cheek.

We were then ushered home for the night, seeing as we would have to get up really early to watch the blood bath that was about to happen at the Cornucopia.

I was right, Katniss did go for the Cornucopia. She got up and snuck away after Peeta had fallen asleep from the broth she fed him. She was patiently awaiting dawn so that she could get what she needed and get out, but i knew that she wasn't going to make it out of there.

She was struggling for her life with Clove about to slit her throat, when Thresh came out of nowhere and saved her life.

He told her it was for what she did for Rue, the little girl that Katniss had semi buried after her death.

She made it out of there and back to where Peeta was. She put the medicine on his wound, and even though he was mad that she had lied to him and gone to the Cornucopia, he was grateful that she did, because it meant that he was going to live, even if it was only for just a little bit longer.

I looked down to see Madge with happy tears in her eyes, and that's when i realized that i didn't love Katniss the way i had always thought that I did.

My love for Katniss was more like a brother loves his sister, and i had just been tricking myself into thinking that i loved Katniss, when all along i had feelings for Madge.

She was so beautiful and kind, the complete opposite of me, but i had been to distracted by what I thought i felt for Katniss, who was extremely similar to me, to realize just how I felt for Madge.

But now I knew, and as she looked up at me, i leaned down and kissed her.

When we finally pulled away in need of air she looked at me confused.

"I thought that you loved Katniss?" I was a little surprised by this because i hadn't told her that i loved Katniss, but she must have picked up on how i thought i felt.

I quickly shook my head no. "I thought i did, but i was wrong. I love you Madge."

She smiled at this and squeezed my hand.

Katniss and Peeta had actually ended up winning, although they hit a few bumps in the road when the Capitol tried to change the rules back to what they were before.

But Katniss' clever thinking had gotten them both out of there alive, and they were returning to District 12 today.

The whole town was gathered around the small train platform where they would be arriving any minute, and with Prim on my shoulders and Madge by my side, holding my hand, i was ready to see my best friend again.

The girl who i had thought that i loved had turned out to be the girl who was more like my sister, and i was happy that she and Peeta were in love, and after she almsot lost him at the end of the games, you could tell that she finally realized that she loved him.

The train pulled up, groaning at it's sudden stop, and Katniss and Peeta exited the train.

She immediately found us in the crowd, and smiled when she saw that Madge's hand was wrapped in mine.

And i knew in that moment that we were both happy, even though it wasn't anything like i had expected it to be


End file.
